Urban Legends: Bunny Man
by Shnuggletea
Summary: A small town means nothing bad happens, doesn't it? Well, when bad things do happen, everyone knows and everyone is affected. It also makes it harder to believe the ones you grew up with would ever cause you harm. Like summoning a man called Bunny Man to sacrifice you to. Darien and the girls will do all they can to save Serena from the demon's clutches! For Halloween Party!
1. Chapter 1

Words can't express how lucky I feel. I'm a very lucky writer to have such great friends who, even though not horror fans, read over this fic and did what fixes they caught. This is a fast write guys, I can't express that enough, because I focused on the gift exchange first. But I REALLY wanted to post a new horror fic for Halloween guys! Like, really!

I know most aren't into this stuff but I promise, it's pretty tame. There are no graphic details in the descriptions. Do people die? Yes but no one you know so have no fear!

With Halloween approaching, I wanted to find something to write about and low and behold I found Bunny Man. This is a real Urban Legend guys, people believed a man in a full-on bunny suit went around killing people. But as the fic explains, it is all myth. So no, I'm not making lite of any actual deaths here. How could I pass up an Urban Legend about a man who skinned rabbits and ran around with bunny ears and a hatchet? I meant for this to be a dark comedy but it just didn't happen that way. Oh well, maybe next time? I had a scene planned last year when I first decided to write this where the girls were trying to get Serena to run with them and says, "He's a guy in Bunny ears, how bad can he be?" and then cuts a guy (probably Seiya) in half.

So here, after a year of thinking it over and then waiting for the next Halloween, here is Bunny Man! Brought to you by my loving and reading friends: DarkenedHrt101, SailorMoon101, and iamcharlotte88. A lot is going on for each of these lovelies so thank you again for your time and care. Really and truly!

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**Chapter One**

"_The seed of an urban legend find fertile soil at the corner of tragedy and imagination."_

― _**Thomm Quackenbush, We Shadows**_

It didn't matter what time of year it was, I would eat a chocolate milkshake in the snow. So the crisp autumn air deterred me little, sipping as I walked from the Dairy Monster back to school. Bright colored leaves hung above me and crunched under my feet as I traipsed, enjoying my solitude as it meant not sharing my treat.

Most of the houses on the row were decorated for Halloween, but it was cute stuff like jack-o-lanterns and white sheets for ghosts. Not that I minded, I'm not into spooky or scary stuff. There was one house that I found myself running past every year but this time, I forced myself to go slow, never knowing who was inside watching at the moment. This house was the last on the street and always went all out for Halloween. It belonged to the Dickersons', Seiya Dickerson was in my class. Their yard was filled with skeletons, bloody bags full of 'bodies', 'headstones', and everything to fill your nightmares with year after year since Mrs. Dickerson left town with a lawyer from the next town over. But I refused to let it get me this time. I was an adult now and wouldn't let childish pranks scare me anymore. Which was why I forced myself to walk even as a creature jumped out of a grave while I passed.

The houses and their lots here were small, the cute and classic homes almost on top of each other so I didn't have to slow myself for long. Larger homes were on the outskirts of town, like my home, feeling like we lived in the middle of nowhere, no-Ville. It was why most of us wanted to get out of there, graduate and go off to college far far away. Fairfax County had little to offer by means of entertainment so most of us got into quite a bit of trouble on the weekends. With Halloween this weekend, it was sure to be a mess of trouble.

Which was what was promised, given the looks my friends were giving me at the end of the long school day.

"Your dad is out of town this weekend, right? A meeting in DC?"

Mina and Raye were eyeing me because they already knew the answer and had planned it all out. So I sighed, "why don't the two of you stop playing innocent and just tell me what you have planned already?"

"They're throwing a party," Lita responded, leaning on the locker next to mine and looking glib.

Amy shook her head, "is that really wise guys? The last time anyone threw a party the house was trashed and three girls ended up pregnant."

"That was last year's seniors, a bunch of losers going nowhere so they had nothing to lose," Raye said with a click of her tongue.

"Yeah, we'll keep it small. Just a few people."

Which meant Mina had invited all their boyfriends and half the senior class. "Fine, but I'm inviting some people too."

"Oh?" Mina leaned in, her eyebrows lifting up and down, "are we finally going to meet your mystery man?"

Lita pushed off the lockers defensively. "Bunny doesn't have a mystery of any kind, she tells us everything."

"Yes, you will meet him if you're all nice!"

"We are always nice!" Amy quietly shouted, offended.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into my side to walk. "You are. Lita is. But Raye?"

"Hey!" The pyro shouted.

"And Mina tends to disappear…"

"With good reason!" Mina stated, flipping a long gold lock off her shoulder.

"...So the opportunity to introduce has yet to come up and that's not really my fault."

Raye wrapped her arms around me, mine still wrapped around Amy so the three of us walked while holding each other. "I can just imagine the guy. Good looking to a fault, sweet, nerdy, shy, and one foot out the door from this place!"

"Something like that, yes."

Lita and Mina at the head of our trope stopped short and the three of us skidded to a stop. "Hello, Ladies!"

Up on my toes, I wiggled my way to glance over Mina's shoulder as there was no way I could look over the tall Lita's. But I didn't need to, I'd recognize Seiya's -or anyone else from our class's- voice. "What's up, Scourge?"

I cringed but the others giggled, save for Amy, at Mina's favorite nickname for guys like Seiya. Scourge of the Earth but Scourge for short, it was what she liked to call those who used their free time for bad things. Like robbing the PTA's concessions stand or poking holes in the condoms they used. Raye always referred to them as 'life ruiners' because their lives were going nowhere so they liked to destroy others. Misery loving company sort of thing. I struggled to believe most of it. Even guys like Seiya weren't so cruel as to purposely knock a girl up, wreck her college plans, all while claiming no responsibility because they wore a condom. It was hard to believe even with the glint in his eyes.

He chuckled darkly at Mina's jab but kept going. "What's up is this weekend! We are all going to Colchester Overpass to summon Bunny Man. You five need to come. We may need sacrifices."

"Pass!"

Lita brushed past, the others following and Seiya locked his eyes on me. "Right. Wouldn't want Bunny wetting her panties huh?"

"Shut up, Seiya!" Raye shouted, pulling me along.

"I get it, I do. Little, innocent girl like her in your 'protection'? She'd probably pass out and hit her head. The hospital waiting room is no fun on a Saturday night, is it? Or would you guys just leave her there? I would."

His eyes danced up and down me, making my stomach turn. "We aren't going because it's stupid and we have other plans now back off!"

Lita was getting in Seiya's face, the two at eye level. A second or two passed and Seiya held up his hands to back way. "Well if you guys change your mind, we are all meeting there right after sunset…"

"Fuck off, Seiya."

Mina threw in a middle finger at the guy before grabbing my now empty arm and pulling me along. Amy was long gone, standing next to Lita's car, waiting. The five of us climbed in without another word until we hit the farms. Nothing but rows of corn and tobacco as far as the eyes could see.

"You guys don't have to stand up for me, you know. I can fight my own battles."

With me in the middle, all eyes turned to me, Lita glancing at me in her rearview mirror. Mina on one side and Raye on the other, I was sandwiched between my comfort, my friends always there for me even when I didn't need them to be. "We know that, Bunny. But...this time of year you're at your most vulnerable. As anyone would be in your situation."

"My situation? My mother was murdered and tomorrow marks the five year anniversary. But even my dad doesn't see it as big a deal as you guys do. There is no situation, I'm fine really!"

Their eyes found me again, one by one, and I saw the disbelief in all of them. It was a hard sell. I was sure I wouldn't believe myself either. But the truth was, I was over it. Over being the victim. So I had to be fine.

"I don't want to talk about it. Can we discuss something else? Anything else?"

"Alright," Lita began, "how about we discuss the crazy hard-on Seiya Dickerson has for the five of us? Especially, Bunny? What is that dude's problem?"

"He's a loser that's what's wrong with him. A Scourge." Mina chanted.

I glanced sideways at her. "I wish you wouldn't call people that."

"What? It's true! Even his own mother couldn't stand it here in this town so she 'peaced out' at first chance!"

"That is hardly his fault, Mina," Amy argued.

"She's right," Raye leaned over me to glance at Mina, "it's his dad's fault. I heard the guy had an affair and that's why mommy left!"

"Raye!" "That's terrible." "We shouldn't talk about such things." "I knew it!"

A wash of voices, we all looked at Mina and her outburst. "Oh come on, no mother just leaves their kid behind like that without good reason!"

"And being cheated on is good reason?!" I nearly shouted.

Mina shrugged, "Guess it depends on how much and with who. Maybe he slept with a LOT of people? The housewives of this town are all bored out of their minds. I'd have an affair or two too."

I giggled, "Tutu."

Raye patted my knee like the child I was acting like and sneered over at Mina. "Yeah, we all know you'd have an affair! The shocking part would be you in a relationship long enough to have it!"

"Who said I would be the one having the affair? I'd be the one helping the poor, sexually dissatisfied husbands get some release!"

"Gross," Lita said, shaking her head.

Mina sat up, grabbing the back of the driver's seat dangerously. "That's only if I had to stay in this town and as of right now, my ticket is bought and paid for. NYC, here I come!"

"I have to say, I'm surprised we are the only Seniors graduating early…"

Amy sounded sad like it was somehow her fault we were all off to better lives asap. "That's because we are the only ones really getting out of here. Everyone else is just dreaming about it while not doing a thing about it."

It was true, we were all getting out of this town. It was set in stone. Our final high school classes were wrapping up and checks for our first semesters at our chosen colleges had been sent. Mina was off to NYU, Raye was going to Columbia University, Amy Princeton, and Lita was off to Penn State. While I was going to Georgetown. Each school worked for each of us in their own way, mine was good because dad would be able to visit often what with all his trips to DC. But that was just one reason for going there. Our choices still had us splitting apart and going far and wide from each other, which made me sad even if it was good for all of us.

But it also meant we had little to lose when it came to our last few months still in town.

"Let's go to that bridge tonight."

"What?!" They all yelled at me.

"Yeah! We should go! It's one of the last chances we have together with everyone. And it would make people like Seiya Dickerson eat their words about me being a coward."

"Who cares what they think?!" Lita threw out.

"Please, Lita, you can say something like that because no one talks crap about you! They're all too scared to!"

"They should be scared to talk about you too, cause I'll beat the shit out of them if I ever catch them!"

I shook my head, giggling a little at Lita's overprotectiveness showing. "And they know that too. They would never say anything to your faces. Save for Seiya. But I know everyone still talks about me, the little girl scared of her own shadow."

"Yeah because your mother was…" Mina stopped, turning and looking anywhere but at me.

I released an exasperated sigh. Seems I still couldn't escape it, even years later. "My mother was cut into pieces and scattered around town. I know, you know, the whole town knows. So if anything, everyone should be just as freaked out like me because they never figured out who did it. There's a murder amongst us and no one but me seems to be bothered by that?"

"We're all bothered, Bunny." Amy cooed, trying to calm me from the front seat.

"Guess I'm the only one thinking she is next on the list then…"

The car got silent, eyes dancing around. A secret I hadn't told many, the girls the select few along with my boyfriend were the only ones I had ever told my biggest fear. It was the one that kept me up at night. That the person that killed my mother is not only still out there, but waiting to kill me next.

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Next chapter up asap. Posting this in rapid-fire as it's betaed!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two told you they were coming in fast! The rest may not come today sadly, too much stuff going on today! I hope you are all having a great Halloween/Thursday!

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**Chapter Two**

"_Homecomer, hitcher, phantom rider,_

_White lady wants what's been denied her,_

_Gather-grim knows what you fear the most,_

_But best keep away from the crossroads ghost."_

_**-Seanan McGuire, Sparrow Hill Road (Ghost Roads, #1)**_

When I was younger, I got curious and looked up the sun and if it made any noise while it set. Apparently, it does, it roars. But we are too far away to hear it or something like that. All I really remember is that if we could hear it, it would be deafening. Funny thing, it sounded pretty deafening to me right now, watching as it sunk lower into the horizon. Having convinced the girls I was okay to go to the bridge tonight had been no easy task but I had fought hard for it. And now I wasn't sure why. Because as the sun got lower my skin felt tighter like I might rip out of it at any second, my nerves on high.

It was stupid, a stupid thing the kids liked to do around here. They would drive up to the Colchester Overpass and wait to see if Bunny Man appeared. I didn't know the whole story because I didn't want to, all I knew was that it was supposed to be haunted and going to it at night was a bad idea. Not that I would want to go during the day either, the legends didn't differentiate between the two times when it came to bad stuff happening.

I was scared, terrified, but I was sick of feeling that way so I swallowed it and got dressed.

The party that was to commence at my place after the drive -the guests following us back here- was Halloween themed. Since I didn't exactly celebrate anything this time of year, I didn't exactly dress up as Mina demanded of me. Slapping on a pair of bunny ears was the most I was going to do, she would just have to get over it.

Living the closest, Raye was the one to pick me up as I still had no car. "When is your dad going to get you some wheels?"

I leaned in, gently pinching her cheek mockingly. "Awe are you tired of me already, Raye?"

"Yeah, you really get on my nerves!"

Raye was my oldest friend. Living a few feet away from each other in the middle of nowhere kind of makes you less picky about your friends. It was a rough start, Raye being more like a bully than a friend to me, but I soon warmed her up to me and we were inseparable since. Even when we started school and had our pick of friends, Raye stood by my side. She was the first to be by my side when news of my mother's death hit the media.

And just like all the other girls; Mina, Lita, and Amy, she never judged my family for what happened or why my mom was targeted.

"Thanks for picking me up."

"Any time."

"Yeah, I know. And thanks for coming along."

Raye kept her stare dancing between me and the road but the road won out the most thankfully. "Like we would let you go to this alone?!"

"Oh gosh, I'm not forcing you guys am I?"

"A little. But we get it."

Now my need to be normal was messing with my friends. "I'm sorry Raye."

"Really, it's okay Bunny. If I'm being honest, I'm scared a lot too ever since your mom died. That sort of thing just isn't supposed to happen in small towns. That's why people move to them in the first place."

"People move here?"

She glanced my way before we both burst into laughter. It took us a moment to rein it back in, wiping tears from our eyes. "There are some weirdos I can think of that moved here. So...are we going to meet this mystery boyfriend of yours tonight?"

"Maybe. He has to work but said he would try to come later."

"Oh, a working man huh? Doesn't really sound like you."

"Well not all of us are fortunate enough to have money to get out of here just handed to us."

"Hey! It wasn't handed to me!"

I chuckled Raye's obvious guilt. "It's okay, I was including myself in that. We're very lucky."

The roads narrowed and the world darkened. When we arrived at the overpass, it looked like the rest of the entire school was already there. Someone had started a small fire and it all looked so creepy. The shadows the flames cast across the white arch we were all going to pass through? And how no one's face could be seen, just black shadows on them?

I kept close to Raye even while surrounded by my classmates. They each found me with their eyes, looking me over with faces I couldn't see. Or couldn't see all of. Neither of us stopped until we were with the others, the only people I trusted. That was there anyway.

Voices all mixed and muddled together like it was all just a big party in the woods. "Well, we made it."

Raye announced to the others who all rounded in on us. A small protective circle of sorts. It still didn't stop others from trying to break in.

"Oh good, Bunny's here. We can get started!"

Seiya announced, the crowd either cheering or laughing. "Screw you, Seiya!"

He leaned in towards Lita who didn't budge, of course. "Don't you know? We need her for this to work."

Lots moved then, along with Raye to stand in front of me like a human barricade. "Not funny!"

Headlights flashed, another person joining the party with a very loud motor. It distracted most but not Seiya. "We need a sacrifice if we want Bunny Man to appear."

"It's just a stupid urban legend. No matter what you do he won't appear!" Mina screamed.

I was confused, having stayed away from pranks like this one all my life. Amy put a hand on my shoulder, leaning in to speak to only me. "The legend goes that if you skin a rabbit and hang it up as an offering, Bunny Man will appear."

"That's sick!"

"What's worse, Seiya is suggesting we skin you."

"What?!"

My skin was crawling, tight and feeling like it was pulsing all over my body. I had nothing to fear with the girls there but it didn't stop me from feeling fully freaked out with the way Seiya was staring at me. I couldn't break from it, his eyes boring into mine and making me shake. But then his eyes were suddenly gone.

It took my brain a second to catch up, everyone else already laughing and cheering as Seiya was dragged away. "Come on asshole, that's enough!"

Dark and dark, the two stood a good distance from me now, Seiya only glanced at me one more time before the newcomer stopped any more of his eyes on me.

"What the hell is Darien doing here?" Raye asked.

Amy slowly shook her head, all of us mostly watching two in the distance. "No clue. He graduated last year but I heard he's been hanging around and working."

Mina huffed, "Damn even the smart ones get sucked into this place."

"Hey, maybe he still has plans? And he's working to save up for it?"

They all gave me an incredulous look, Lita rolling her eyes. "Yeah that's what a lot of the Scourges say but in the end, they never leave."

"His family moved here three years ago. Seriously who moves here?"

Raye and I glanced at each other, Mina starting the same convo we had in the car. "His mom passed away and his father was an alcoholic. So he moved here to live with his Aunt."

Lita frowned, "You sure do know a lot, Bunny."

They were all watching me, waiting for an answer to explain my knowledge. I just shrugged. "Guess misery knows misery. I'm surprised everyone doesn't know his story, we know all about all in this town."

"You have a point. But I didn't know and neither did any of the others." Raye pointed out.

Their eyes had yet to leave me but there was more than enough going on around me to end the inquisition. "What is that?!"

Now they turned, spying the same thing as me. When everyone remained silent, my stomach turned and the hairs on the back of my neck and arms stood on end.

"Is that...a rabbit?"

A small town in the middle of nowhere there was little for many of us to do besides sleep, eat, hang out and watch tv, or have sex. But a lot also liked to hunt. Which was why I was one of the few horrified by the skinned rabbits Trevor and Noah, two friends of Seiya, now held up for all to see. The screams and cheers of glee and mock disgust just showed me how alone I was in my thoughts. My friends looked a bit out of sorts, confused and disgusted like I was. Amy was the only one who shook her head and sighed as if expecting this.

"I was hoping they wouldn't do this." The others were busy scolding other classmates or trying to watch what was starting to look like a demonic ritual. So I was the only one who gave Amy my full attention. "The legends say that if you skin a rabbit and hang it up on the bridge, then the Bunny Man will appear."

"Why do we want him to appear? Didn't he kill people?" I screeched, as that was the story I was told.

"Actually," Amy began with a reassuring smile, "there is no proof Bunny Man was ever real. Some say he was an asylum escapee but there has never been a record of an insane asylum in Fairfax County."

"So…none of this is real?"

Amy slowly shook her head and relief washed over me. But then I returned my attention to the others, a large and loud fire burning with even louder classmates circling around it. Their shadows danced on the trees, rising high thanks to the fire. Add in the smoke and their cries bouncing off the cement bridge and it felt as if the Bunny Man was there. It felt like...it felt like the door to hell was open and they all stood around it roasting marshmallows.

I wanted to get out of there, pronto, but that would defeat the whole purpose of coming in the first place. "You okay?"

Spinning, I found blue eyes peeking at me through black strands. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

Relenting I sighed, slowly pulling myself from the girls to move closer to him. They were busy watching the display in a horror driven trance. "Okay, I'm not. But I'm a big girl."

"I know. Nothing wrong with being scared. Being brave doesn't mean you aren't."

His head cocked to the side I now had a clear view of his face. He was grinning, making my heart race with emotions I was sure I'd never understand. "Thank you for earlier."

He shrugged, "yeah well Seiya and those guys are a bunch of shit heads. They wouldn't have actually hurt you but they don't think things through…"

"Then why do you hang out with them?" Mina, out of nowhere, was at my side glaring at him.

"I don't."

"They listen to you." Raye now on my other side added.

He shrugged again, not taking the sudden accusations seriously. "Because I'm not an idiot and I know how to talk to them.."

"Because you're just like them!" Lita called out at him over my head, standing behind me."

"Guys! That's not…"

"It's fine, Serena."

"Darien…"

He held up a hand to silence anything more I had to say. "I said it's fine." Then walked away and into the dark.

The sound of a rumbling engine filled the night only adding to the outright eeriness of it all and I turned on my friends. "That wasn't nice! He saved me and you guys treated him like a criminal!"

"To be fair, he nearly is…"

Turning sharply, I glared harshly at Mina. She had the good sense to stop there and look ashamed. I was too upset with my friends to say or hear anything else. The only bright side is, it distracted me from the gateway to hell just behind me. Now people were calling out to the Bunny Man. Their faces were hidden by shadows and their voices distorted by the trees and curved cement. In my head, I knew they were just the people I grew up with. But my heart still took off running at the scene. It was far from how I imagined my Saturday night going.

"Guys..I'm sorry but I think I'm done."

There was no shock or confusion or even loss with leaving. "Yeah let's go. People will meet us at your place anyway."

Raye was pulling me with her, the others close behind. "You didn't invite a lot of people, did you? Dad will kill me if…"

"Don't worry, Bunny," Mina interrupted, stopping me from my spiral, "we only invited the best people."

Now in the safer -and warmer- passenger seat of Raye's car, I studied the mouth of what I assumed was now hell. Someone thought they were cute and put on a bunny suit. Or at least the ears, I could make out the silhouette of a human body with two long stems on their head. My favorite animal and nickname ruined.

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Chapter three asap!


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the next one. I would have posted this as a one-shot but it was just too long for that (that's what she said). I hope you're all enjoying it so far. If you're looking for blood and guts...well there's really not much in this but it's near the end. Thanks for reading!

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**Chapter Three**

"_They say when you meet somebody that looks just like you, you die."_

― _**P. Wish, The Doppelgänger**_

Even with their promises, I knew better than to be surprised when the entire Senior class arrived along with a sprinkle of juniors and sophomores. That said, my house nearly full left me feeling numb from the shock of it all.

After saving another lamp from hitting the floor, I glared over at Lita, her head and eyes sticking up over the others. Sympathy was in her honey-colored irises. But there was nothing she could do and she didn't hold the blame. No this smelled of Raye and Mina.

Raven hair was easier to spot in this bunch. My mission was clear, pushing through the bodies in my hall towards dark strands, only to realize halfway there the locks belonged to someone else. I kept pushing, my original plan getting set aside for the moment. Clearing the last clump, I found Darien leaning against the arched doorway of my living room.

A small group around him, chatting and drinking away, I kept a safe distance. "Hey! You came?"

"I was invited."

"I know but earlier...I'm really sorry about…"

"Your friends? Yeah well, they don't know me like you do I guess."

I took notice of the people surrounding him for the first time. All of them graduated last year like Darien or the year before. And all of them had stuck around and hadn't gone to college...like Darien.

But it was calm and peaceful, everyone talking and sipping on a beer. Darien was like me sipping a soda.

The circle was broken, a body moving through and then inside. Trevor was drunk and wrecking the vibe. "Hey guys, still here?" He snickered at his little joke but no one else did. "Bunny, great party. Is this your way of making sure you aren't alone tonight? Cause I can help you with that."

He moved to grab me and Darien snatched him out of the air to toss him aside. "Drink some water, you idiot!"

With a hand wrapped tightly around the back of his neck, Trevor made a quick exit, the others with Darien laughing it all off.

"Thanks."

He smirked at me and then winked. "Anytime."

"How are you doing with all this, Bunny?"

Dancing from Darien's warm eyes, I found one of his friends sincerely asking after me. "I'm fine."

"You going to be okay later tonight? Alone?"

The female that was with them didn't sound as nice, more like she was judging me. But I was used to it. "My boyfriend will be here. I'll be far from alone."

Raised eyebrows all around, I searched their shocked faces until I landed back on Darien, who stared at the floor hiding his face. Suddenly an arm wrapped around my neck nearly knocking me to the floor with their lack of grace. "Speaking of, when are we going to meet said boyfriend?!"

Mina was putting all her weight on me. I could smell the alcohol on her breath. It had me looking around the group again, few looking interested while Darien walked away. "He's…"

"Working, I know. Geez, I may be drunk but I'm not brain dead." Mina's glassy eyes followed Darien's retreating form and she ignored the others still around us. "Are you still hanging out with that loser?"

"Mina!"

"What? He's a Scourge and you know it! Already graduated and yet, here he is at a high school party. Why? Because he has nothing else better to do!"

"Like me?"

Mina turned and almost fell over, the voice catching her before she did. The sincere one from earlier now held Mina off the floor and the girl had turned pale. "Kaden…"

My eyes felt like they might pop out because I knew the name. It was the one name Mina had said so often over the years, the one guy she ever mentions more than once or twice. I was pretty sure he was the reason Mina was never serious about anyone.

"What are you doing here?"

"I guess I'm here being a loser and a Scourge of the Earth."

He set her back on her feet and walked away, Mina following right behind. With her busy, I returned to my original mission to seek out raven hair. Now the crowd only held two and one of them was not Darien. The first one I found was Seiya. What he was doing here I didn't pretend to know, turning and hiding before he caught sight of me. Finally, I found Raye just as Noah stood on top of the dining room table.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" A few murmurs and the crowd listened, looking up at the crazed man on my table. "You guys are not going to believe this but they just found a body. Skinned!" Excitement filled the air and it had me questioning just who these people were to get excited over something like that. "I say we all go see!"

Jumping down from my table, the room shook as everyone made for their cars. My house was quickly and steadily emptying, the unique hair of my friends becoming easier to see. Now, only five of us remained, standing on my porch and watching car after car come to life and drive away in a line.

But then Kaden walked by.

His departure was slow and purposeful and Mina glanced my way. "Go! He won't stay forever!"

I probably shouldn't have let her leave, still a little wobbly on her feet. But from what she had told us, Kaden was a good guy just distant. And if he was friends with Darien then he was nice.

Four of us left, they glanced around as did I, spying a lone motorcycle still parked in the dark away from the other vehicles. "You guys should go."

Raye wrapped her arms around her ribs while Amy and Lita wrapped arms around me.

"Are you sure about that?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, we should at least stay and help you clean up?!" Lita added.

"It's fine. You guys can come over tomorrow and help if you want. I'm not touching it tonight, I just want to go to bed."

Raye was watching me and I was sure she could see right through me. "Are you sure? We could spend the night?"

Gently pulling from their hold, I stepped back from Lita, Amy, and Raye. "It's fine, really. After all those people...I just want to be alone. I need to be a big girl anyway. It's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a...Bunny your mother was murder on this night six years ago now!" Raye stressed.

But I just held up my hands, "yeah and I need to move on. Being alone tonight is a step towards that. Otherwise, it will be what defines me my whole life."

Amy seemed to agree the most, making her way to Lita's car after a quick hug goodnight. The others followed her lead and soon, I was alone.

I watched their tail lights fade and slowly made my way to the back of the house. In the kitchen, I ignored the mess of red cups and tipped over green glass bottles. Tripping a little on a rug out of place, I got another soda out and was about to head upstairs with it when I noticed my swing outside was moving.

The door off my kitchen and the wooden stairs down the deck were the loudest sounds ever, alerting my presence to whoever was there. It was as if an invisible person sat on the seat of the swing, it going back and forth on its own and creaking eerily as it did. A spotlight hit the base of the tree from the deck lights, the etching of the bark on it clear, but the swing would disappear behind it as it moved.

"Hello?"

I know it was cliche. As was me walking out here over to a moving swing. But I couldn't deny the strange pull I had to the spot, watching on in confused disbelief as the swing continued to move on its own.

"Hello?!"

My body tensed so hard and fast it hurt my spine, hands slapping to the tops of my shoulders. "Boo."

My throat hurt from the small, but piercing, scream it had released. Fast and forced due to pure fear. But as Darien walked around me chuckling, the warm tone making my body melt as the tension left me, I swatted his arm hard.

"Not funny!"

He still laughed, stopping and sitting in the swing he had set into motion. "I know but you were asking for it."

"It's not like it's hard to make the town scaredy-cat jump out of her skin!"

Shame colored his face. "Then the town scaredy-cat shouldn't make it so easy. Going to that stupid Bunny Man bridge?"

"I went because I no longer want to _be _the town scaredy-cat."

I slowly walked closer to him, the swing his seat as he made no efforts to move it like the toy it was. "You have every right to be scared. People of this town should be. There is something wrong with this place, I've felt it ever since I moved here."

A short distance from him, I watched the top of his head as he bowed down to look at the ground in thought. Although pitch black, the light still reflected off his silky locks. "Guess that's why we always got along so well. You were the first and only person to believe me about this town."

It was quick, his eyes darting up to mine, dark blue stunning me, and then his hand reaching out for me. He hooked his fingers over the waist of my skirt and pulled me the rest of the way to him. Now between his legs, his hands grabbed my hips and kneaded the flesh below. In a daze, my hands rested on his shoulders while my thumbs played with the loose lobe of his ears.

"Darien, why are you here? I thought you had to work tonight?"

He grinned up at me, resting his chin on my belly. "I did. But then my girlfriend tells me she is going to a demon ritual and having a party afterward. All on the anniversary of her mother's death. Didn't seem like something I should miss."

"I knew why you couldn't come and it was last minute. I didn't expect you to…"

"I expected myself to."

"Then why did you keep leaving my side? We were supposed to tell people…"

"Didn't seem like you wanted people to know."

"It didn't seem like you did!"

His frown grew but then popped, a chuckle causing him to drop it. "We are both just used to hiding it. It's not as easy as it seems."

I was still playing with his ears, rubbing the hard edges with my thumb and pointer as the rest of my finger got lost in his hair. "I'm tired of hiding it. I'm already going to be in so much trouble with everyone for it."

He pulled me closer, my knees pressing against the edge of the swing while his hands wrapped around me. I was now completely in his hold. "I hate to say this but it is probably why we have survived as a couple this long. If we had told them a year and a half ago? They would have bugged and pushed and intruded so much...I'm not even sure where we would be at this moment if they had."

"You would be far away from this place…"

"Not without you."

Slowly slipping down, he ran his hands over my backside, lingering on my butt until he found the backs of my knees. A gentle tug and he helped me climb into his lap. I sat precariously on him now, his hands firmly attached to my butt as he helped me balance. My hands were firmly attached to his face, holding it steady while I planted my lips on his. His shock was clear when I pulled away suddenly, getting free so easily to stand before him while he still held the air I had occupied moments ago for a few lingering seconds.

"You know, in the movies, the jerk who scared the innocent girl dies pretty quick!"

He smirked. "So does the innocent girl who goes to check out the strange sound all alone in the dark."

"Then there is only one way to save us both!"

His grip returned to the ropes of the swing, leaning forward to look at me with interest. "And how's that?"

I was already reaching up my skirt to grab my panties, pulling them off my hips. "I need to be less innocent and you need to be less of a jerk."

Stepping out of my underwear, I missed whatever look he had on his face. "You are already far from innocent, Serena. How will me making you even more corrupt be a good thing?"

Panties in my hand, I stomped over to him and dug my hand into his front pocket. A tight fit, given his current position and his obvious hard-on, it took me a bit to get his phone out. But I did, pressing my finger to the lock and getting instant access.

"What are you doing?"

There was clear curiosity and humor to his tone even as he tried to sound annoyed. "_Innocent: an innocent or gentle person is one who is often puzzled by and prey to the evils of the world._ Synonyms include sissy, weakingly, and wimp, by the way."

"So what you're saying is I've made you stronger?"

The smile on my face only grew at the puzzled look on his face. "In more ways than one."

Pulling me back again, he plucked his phone from my fingers. "Oh great. Look at the antonyms. Devil, miscreant, jerk, rapscallion…"

"You're none of those things."

"Your friends would disagree."

"They don't know you like I do."

He took my underwear from my hand and wrapped them around his phone to toss both gently to the ground. Still, in the silhouette of his hold, he kept his eyes on me as I did him while he opened up his pants and got properly situated.

Neither of us were adventurous people. The craziest place we had ever had sex was in a park one night on top of a blanket. But I didn't question it when Darien lifted me up off the ground, holding me up until I got my legs over the swing's seat and between the ropes and his sides.

I held on tight to the ropes while he lowered me down to his tip. "You ready?"

My answer was to lean down and put our mouths together again. He groaned, my tongue slipping inside his mouth as he lowered me the rest of the way to his lap. Pleasure sang through me, Darien filling me and my existence up again. After a few moments, though I was ready for more and feeling the itch from it.

I had to pull back hard to get release from his mouth. "Now what?"

His daze had him leaving me hanging for a few seconds, a smile pulling at his swollen lips. "Now, we swing."

No matter how old I got I still loved this swing. My parents used to push me on it until I learned how to swing myself. Then they would watch me from the deck as I played, dad grilling or mom painting. I loved it. And now I loved it, even more, Darien and I swinging back and forth while simultaneously thrusting into each other. We were nearly in the branches when I came, feeling the rush to my belly from the weightlessness as we came back down and the rush to my limbs as heat swelled and filled them.

Darien knew I was coming, holding his neck tight as I squealed softly in his ear. I didn't stop until we did, Darien letting us slowly lose momentum as I lost myself.

Panting and shaking a little as I usually did when I finished, he rubbed my back and naked thighs. "Serena you're freezing! Why are you wearing so little out here?"

He was already lifting us from the seat, holding me tight as I was still wrapped around him completely. "I don't feel cold."

"That's the sex talking. You'll catch your death like this."

My face was still buried in his neck but I could hear his feet on the wood of the deck and then the sliding door as it opened behind me. A shiver ran through me as my body met the heat of my house and Darien didn't stop save to lock the door behind us.

"Is the front door locked?"

"Yes."

"Good."

That was all he said before carrying us both upstairs.

* * *

Enter the boyfriend. Did anyone think Darien wasn't her bf?


	4. Chapter 4

Super short so chapter three wasn't ridiculously long (That's what she said)! Here's chapter four! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 4**

"_Divining the difference between reality and the fantastic may not be as simple as it seems. Because the world you think you know may not actually exist…"_

― _**Tomi Farrell, Stories**_

His knees were next to my face as my feet were next to his. We were laying across my bed, his long body forcing his feet to the floor to fit, my sheet stretched across both of us.

Moving me as he adjusted, I strained my neck and eyes to watch him turn and prop himself on his side. His fingers were wrapping around my ankle and dancing as he felt my skin. "You are...impossibly soft. You know that?"

"Are you calling me fat?"

He jerked up in time to see my smirk before I fell back to comfort. I had hit my limit on my neck and returned to staring at the ceiling. "You have some explaining to do. Just what the hell are you thinking going to that seance tonight?!"

Digging as he traveled up, I jerked away from his touch slightly when he tickled the underside of my calf. "You didn't have a problem with it earlier…"

"I had every problem with it when I had to stop you from becoming the human sacrifice. You failed to mention that Seiya and his buddies would be there."

Getting up on my elbows, I looked down at him while his eyes remained on my legs. "Why does that matter?"

"Because Seiya and people like Seiya are true believers in that crap!"

He was frowning, his eyes now searching mine and the amount of fear in them had me asking, "what crap?"

Dropping his head with a chuckle, he went back to playing with my meat. "The crap about that stupid urban legend. The one where Bunny Man, a guy in a freaking bunny suit, goes around with a hatchet or machete and chops people up."

"I thought he skinned people?"

He was back on his side, his touch leaving me as I turned to look at him. Now both on our sides, I could see the grin on his face. "See. You have heard the legend."

"Bits and pieces."

His head shook at my bad joke. "The story goes that a local asylum was shut down after many people complained and the inmates were moved. The bus crashed and some escaped but only one was still missing after the whole ordeal. And he earned his name from the trail of skinned carcasses he left behind of little rabbits. One day they found a man's body in a similar fashion as the rabbits and a bunch of other crazy stories started to surface."

"But, Amy said there was never an insane asylum in Fairfax?"

"Exactly. It's all crazy made up stories to scare people. But there are some people like Seiya who really believe it."

Ignoring the strange beating of my heart, fear threatening to paralysis me, I twisted and flopped so that we were now facing each other. "You didn't have any trouble convincing him earlier tonight. I didn't even know you two were that close?"

"Serena...he's my cousin."

"What?! Why didn't I know this?!"

"After the scandal with his mom, my Aunt didn't want anyone knowing we were related."

"That's so...cold."

"Yeah. But at the time I was too wrapped up in my own drama anyway. I was useless. And now I'm just trying to make up for the lost time. All I hope is that he gets his act together and gets out of this town before it's too late for him."

"Too late?"

Finding my eyes, liquid pools that swam with his worry and fear, I felt my breath catch in my chest at the sight. "Before he does something he can't come back from."

Even though upbeat and happy, the tune of my ringer still made me jump. Darien ran a quick but gentle palm across my cheek, searching my face with worry. Dodging him, I ducked my head and got up, retrieving my phone from my desk across the room. The name on the screen had me chuckling.

"Hi, Dad. Did you make it to there alright?"

"_Yeah..I'm here.."_

Pressing a finger into my other ear to block out other sounds, even though silence surrounded me, I tried to hear him better. "Dad? You're breaking up or something I can barely hear you."

"_I said...here…"_

I glanced over at Darien and found him watching me. Already concern was clouding his face as I struggled. "You sound weird. Are you okay?"

"_I'm fine...Goodnight...Bunny…."_

The loud beep in my ear alerted me to the end of the call, feeling shocked with confusion. "Is that not normal? He travels there all the time and calls you. Has the signal not been bad before?"

"No."

Eyeing me carefully, he rose off the bed and put his clothes back on. I followed, getting my underwear back on when my phone went off again. This time it was an unlisted number so I hesitated. Darien glanced at the screen and shook his head. But I answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"..."

"Heeellloooo? Dad is that you?"

"...(click)"

Darien took the phone from me, looking it over while I pulled on some warm sweat pants and a sweater. My phone started ringing again while Darien held it in his hands. He answered it without question, even though I tried to stop him. What would it look like? If it was my dad and Darien answered it at one am?

"Hello?" He looked over at me and focused on my eyes. "You have the wrong number buddy. Don't call here again." He was messing with my phone again as soon as he hung up but soon let out an exasperated sigh. "Damnit. Your old ass phone doesn't let you block numbers?"

"No, I've never needed a phone for that! No one but dad, the girls, and you call me on it."

He quickly brushed his fingers across my cheek, effectively calming me down. "I'm sorry. Seems like you have a prank caller, that's all. Wanna go downstairs and hang out? Watch a movie?"

It had been five years since we met, four years since our first kiss, three years since our second, two years since we admitted liking one another past friends with relatable pasts, and one and a half since we started dating. Darien knew me very well, taking my hand and leading us down to the living room. I snuggled into him and never felt safer.

Until a glass broke at the back of the house.

"What was that?"

Darien was already on his feet. "Stay here, I'll go check it out."

"Isn't that what the stupid person does in the horror movies?"

He smirked down at me, leaning in close to my face for a quick second. "I said the innocent ones. And I'm not innocent."

Pressing his lips to mine for a short second, he left heat on my mouth before disappearing. I sat, waiting and feeling stupid. I was the stupid one. If anyone was going to die, it was me. Yet, that thought brought me no comfort, still worrying greatly about my boyfriend more than myself.

I was about to go after him when my phone rang again, causing me to jump out of my skin. But the screen showed 'Raye' so I answered it quickly. "Bunny, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I said even with my heart racing and my breathing shallow, "why wouldn't I be?"

"Because...that body….everyone left the party to see it….I thought it was a joke….it was real!"

"Raye? You're breaking up, what did you say?"

"The body! It was skinned!" Raye yelled at her.

"What body?"

My phone beeped again, telling me the call was lost and I tried to call her back but nothing was going through. Then my phone started ringing, too freaked to even bother checking the number before answering. It was Raye, it had to be.

"Raye? I don't know what is going on with my phone tonight…"

"I do."

It wasn't Raye. I didn't know who it was, their voice wasn't familiar at all. "Who is this?"

"Who is this?"

This must have been the wrong number. "You have the wrong number. "

"No, I don't. I called for a Bunny. That's you!"

I really didn't like their tone or the sound of their strange voice so I said nothing more before hanging up. Just as I lower my phone, a hand grabbed my shoulder and I screamed.

"HEY! It's just me!" Without thought, I threw myself into his arms, Darien holding me without prejudice. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe! I won't let anything happen to you." I believed him instantly, the tension fleeing from my body and nearly dragging me with it to the floor. "What did I miss?"

"Raye called. I think she was saying there really was a skinned body found but the connection was bad. Then I got another call and it was a strange voice..."

"Okay, no more answering your phone."

"What about the noise?"

He shifted me in his arms, resting his head on top of mine. "It was nothing. A glass shifted in your cabinet and knocked one over. I had to clean up the glass."

"Thank you. Something weird is going on with my phone, the connection is bad."

"Well let's see if it is messing with my phone too?" He dug in his pocket, then stopped and dug into the other one. "Shit, I left it outside."

"I'm coming with you!"

Leading the way and being indignant about it, I left Darien no choice. I was not being left alone again especially if that included him going off by himself. So much for not being a scaredy-cat anymore. So I owned it, clutching onto my boyfriend hard like the scared little girl I was. He didn't make me feel foolish for it so why hide it? Darien never made me feel lesser. If anything, he made me feel like I was better than him. Or rather, he tried, talking like I was somehow smarter or prettier than him.

Back at the swing, it was now motionless and standing in the light fully. A breeze whipped around us, tossing up my pigtails, still wearing a messier version of my 'bunny ears'. It cut through my sweater and sweats as Darien left me for a short second to pick up his phone. But after a second, he was empty-handed.

The look on his face made me not want to ask but my curious side was stronger than my scared one. "What's wrong?"

"My phone...it's gone. And so is your underwear."


	5. Chapter 5

Alright here's chapter five and chapter six (the finale) will be posted ASAP. AKA seconds after this one. I'm a bit surprised with so much positive feed back for this fic. I really didn't expect it to be well received lol! I'm super happy you guys like it so I'm posting the rest today. Happy reading lovelies!

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**Chapter Five**

"_It's okay to be afraid, Jo. It's what keeps us alive. But falling to that fear is what will get you killed."_

― _**Brandy Nacole, Deep in the Hollow**_

"Who would take that? Who would take my panties?"

Darien leaned against the kitchen island, watching me pace. He shrugged, trying not to look concerned but I knew him too well to fall for that. "Maybe an animal dragged it off?"

"What animal would take my underwear and a phone?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, daring him to challenge my knowledge. But he smirked, "A horney animal?" I slapped his shoulder lightly, but it worked, unable to keep from giggling at the ridiculousness of it. "I guess I could try calling it with your phone? See if we can hear it outside? But I'd rather wait until morning instead of running around like idiots in the dark with a flashlight."

"Won't you need it?"

Grabbing my hips, he pulled me into his hold, leaning me up against him. "What for? The only person I care about is right here. She doesn't need me to answer it now does she?"

I tried to fight off my grin but failed. "No I guess not."

Sweet and gentle, he kissed me, pulling away and then pushing and pulling me. "Now how about that movie?"

"Something funny?"

He chuckled, nodding his head. Soon, I was wrapped up in Darien and a stupid comedy where they all ran around and mostly yelled at each other. I must have drifted off because Darien's voice woke me. He was talking with a hushed but angry whisper. Was someone else here?

"I said, cut it out! Seriously. Keep this stupid shit up and I will beat your ass into the ground. Got it?"

I didn't realize he was on the phone until he turned, walking back towards me on the couch and tossing my phone not so gently to the coffee table.

"What's wrong?"

He looked surprized to see me awake, but softened quickly as he pulled me back into his lap. "Nothing. Prank caller. Again."

"How many times have they called now? Have they been calling while I was asleep?"

"No. They just called. I handled it. Go back to sleep."

Now I was restless, too many things pressing on me to go back to blissful unawareness. Like the calls, the strange disappearing underwear, and mostly the weird satanic ritual I went to earlier that night. I had long ago decided there was something wrong with this town. You don't have happy thoughts about the place where your mother was brutally murdered. But now I was really starting to question this place. And fear it.

Sensing my agitation, Darien sighed loudly. "Can't get back to sleep?"

"No, not at all."

"Guess we could...fool around a bit?"

I was really not in the mood, but it would definitely distract me. Darien was very good at getting me in the mood too, rubbing up and down my side until I rose and crawled up on him. Straddling him like I had earlier that night, he kept it simple and soft, a makeout session that was slow but heated. His hands had just gone up under my shirt when my doorbell rang. It caused me to pull back from him harshly, confused.

"Expecting anyone?"

When I shook my head 'no' he lifted me, plopping me to the couch next to him. Or rather, next to where he had been, jumping off the couch and heading for the door. He probably expected or intended for me to stay on the couch and wait, but I followed behind him like a puppy. His only response to me was a huff and to push me back behind him once we got to the front door.

"Who is it?"

Darien was using his gruff 'no funny business' voice. It was the same one he used on guys like Seiya and his friends when they tried to mess with me tonight.

"It's Raye!"

Her voice was frantic so I wrenched open the door with little other thought. Darien pulled me back again but it was too late. Good thing it was just Raye on the other side of the door.

"Bunny I...what is _he _doing here?"

A glance and a deep breath, I readied myself, hoping Darien was ready as well. "He's here because he is my boyfriend."

"What?"

"We've been dating for almost two years now." Darien huffed.

Raye was still just standing on the doorstep so I stepped out of her way. She slowly walked in like she was in shock. "So..for two years you kept this from me? Why?!"

"I didn't want to know what you guys thought."

"Bunny…."

Darien grabbed my hand in his, threading his fingers with mine. "You guys would have given her shit until she broke things off with me. Lie to me and tell me that's not exactly what you would have done?"

Raye blanched and looked at the floor. It's exactly what she would have done. "Does anyone else know?"

"You're the first."

Raye huffed and shook her head. "Not for long, the others are on their way."

"What? Why?"

Now Raye looked pissed. "Because a woman was murdered tonight and you weren't answering your phone!"

"But I haven't…"

Glancing at Darien he had the decency to look sheepish. "I didn't know they were calling for anything important. You were asleep and I didn't want to wake you."

I got it but Raye didn't, snarling at Darien. But neither said anything more on the subject thankfully. We hadn't moved out of the entryway before another, louder, knock came. It wasn't long until Darien and I were standing in front of a small jury. I was pretty sure Mina was still drunk as was Lita, but they stood their ground, glaring at the man I'd spent the last two years with. Amy just looked sad, probably from me keeping the secret from them.

"Alright, spill!"

Mina wasn't waiting, wanting the whole story right here and now. "Maybe we should go sit down…"

"No, just tell us Bunny. Enough secrets and hiding."

Lita sounded calm even though her words were biting. Darien gave my hand a squeeze, not letting go since my friends arrived. "Five years ago, Darien moved here. We met and talked and had a lot in common, what with losing family members. Whenever I wasn't hanging out with you guys...I was hanging out with him."

Mina huffed, interrupting me. "So what, this is like a therapy thing? Where the patient falls in love with their client?"

"Transference." Amy and Darien answered simultaneously.

"No, it's not that. But we did help each other through a lot of stuff…"

"And we couldn't help you through it?" Raye questioned, offended.

I took my time, looking them each in the eyes for a few seconds and reading their feelings. I got that they were hurt, me keeping this secret and not coming to them with my problems. But it would have only frustrated them because they couldn't have helped me. They didn't get it, not like Darien did.

"I was the only one that could help her."

All eyes turned to Darien as if they had forgotten he was even there. Tension filled the space, making it seem small. "What about you makes you better at handling Bunny's problems? Huh? We have known her her entire life! We knew her mother, we mourned with her, so who the hell are you to tell us we couldn't have helped her?"

This time, I squeezed his hand, hoping to comfort him. But Darien was always the strong one while I was the coward. "The length of time you know a person doesn't change the fact that she was going through something that none of you could relate to. And you should be thankful for that! You don't want the things that haunt Serena and me!"

"Oh like you're haunted!" Lita quibbed.

I glared at her but Darien gave my hand a tug, silently telling me to let him handle it. "I got to watch my mother waste away to nothing as cancer ate her from the inside out. The stress, of which, turned my father into a raging alcoholic who liked to burst into my room in the middle of the night and throw me out of the house to sleep on the street. So yeah, I'm pretty haunted. What kind of childhoods did you four have again?"

They all looked aghast but I had heard it all before, knowing just what kind of life Darien had before he came here. He told me once, that he thought moving here was worse than staying with his father but meeting me changed his mind. That was the first time he told me he loved me too.

Mina was the first to recover and Darien's sad tale wasn't enough for him to be worthy to her it seemed. "Bunny, come on. He's a Scrouge! He is going to bring you down with him. I bet he doesn't even wear a condom when you two…"

"We use protection!" I shouted, and then regretted as I got some serious looks from the others.

"You lost your virginity and you didn't tell us!" Raye screeched.

Amy was silent, yet to say a word but she wore her hurt on her face well. Lita wrapped an arm around the sad girl and narrowed her eyes at me. "All of us told you when we lost ours and you kept it from us?"

"I couldn't tell you because I gave it to Darien! I knew you guys would give me a hard time about it…"

"Did he talk you into this? Keeping it secret?" Raye asked, stepping closer with her accusation.

"We agreed together…"

"Did he talk you into having sex? Was that his idea too?"

They weren't listening. Already they had judged and decided that Darien was guilty. "Guys, come on. Don't you trust me to make good choices?"

"Well we did," Mina scoffed, "until you shacked up with a loser like him! You're going to Georgetown in a few months! He is just going to do all he can to keep you here. Just like all the others who are stuck here!"

I took a deep breath, everyone getting silent while Darien released my hand, trying to walk away, but I wouldn't let him, grabbing him and holding him back. I didn't need the last five years to know he was pissed and hurt. It was written all over his face. After everything he had done for me, all the times he had been there for me, and how much I loved him he was still getting hurt thanks to me. No, thanks to my friends and the stupid ideals we had come up with about this town and the people in it.

"Look...I'm sorry I lied to you guys. But here you are, proving my point. To be honest, I'm not sure I would have listened then either so maybe I should have just told you from the start. I'm with Darien and I love him. And he loves me too…"

"Of course he does, you're a beautiful girl with a bright future ahead of you…"

"A future I wouldn't have if it wasn't for Darien!" I shouted, shutting Mina up for a moment. Even drunk she knew she had stepped over a line with me now. "Did none of you not question my ability to get into a school like Georgetown? Sure, my grades were okay but come on! Darien helped me study for my SATs and write my admissions' essay. I'm in that school because of him and for him." They looked confused and Darien stepped back to me, wanting me to stop there but I refused. "Darien is going to Georgetown with me next year. He's already in. He deferred his admittance a semester so he could wait for me!"

Shocked into silence, they all looked at me and then Darien, who was back to squeezing my hand again.

"Is all that true, Bunny?"

Amy finally spoke and it was so calm and quiet, I found it refreshing. "Yes. I wouldn't lie about that. I only lied to protect something I considered precious. Our relationship...is precious to me and I didn't want to feel spite towards you guys for not understanding. Or have you try to talk me out of it because it would just cause a rift between us all."

I was right and they knew it, the anger and tension slowly draining from the room. Their eyes danced to Darien again, who looked like he always did, cool and calm. He never really cared if he had their approval and I respected him for that. But he didn't understand women that well.

"I'm sorry."

I was shocked, the loud apology coming from Mina of all people. Darien just nodded the others clearly repentful as well. We were all happy times until the lights went out on us. I was pretty sure Mina and myself screamed but it was so dark no one could see. Tugging my hand, Darien pulled me into one of the girls, figuring it was Raye by smell and height.

"I'll go check the breakers."

"But they're in the basement." I squeaked.

"It'll be fine." A rustle sound came from nearby and Darien flicked on a flashlight, the one we kept in the hall closet. This was not the first time I had knocked out my own power but we didn't have a ton of electronics on this time. "Here."

Darien handed the other flashlight to me and I used it to check on the girls. They each looked equally freaked out. "Maybe you guys should go home?"

Raye, still close to me, wrapped arms around me. "Are you crazy? A woman was murdered nearby and your lights are out. How are you not freaking out right now?"

I was, but not because I was scared for myself. I was scared for the girls. Being near me seemed dangerous right now. And I was scared for Darien, him leaving my sights again so I had to worry until he returned.

"Don't you have some candles in the kitchen, Bunny? If we are going to stay here then we should go get some light. I don't think it's as simple as the breakers." Amy offered, pushing them all towards the darkened house.

I went first, not because I was braver but I had the flashlight and it was my house. Raye was right by my side and everyone else was right behind me. Even in front, I was by far in the safest spot. That's what I told myself as I pressed forward, trying to keep the hand that held the flashlight from shaking.

It was probably my imagination, the house seeming darker than I ever remembered it being before. Even with the cylinder of light funneling out from the flashlight, it was like all the light had been sucked out of the area and that included my house and the surrounding area. It caused me to stumble over things that weren't there or weren't where I remembered. I didn't stop to look for the cause of each trip as I didn't want to take the light away from our path.

After what felt like an eternity, we made it my kitchen. Lita tried the light which only proved the whole house lacked electricity for some reason. And with Darien still missing, I was past the point of scared and worried.

I was straight up terrified.

Keeping the light steady was no longer an option so Amy took it from me, going to my kitchen's pantry for the candles. "Bunny...where are your candles?"

"They should be right there?!"

I looked over her shoulder but she was right, they were ALL gone. "Who would steal candles?" Raye scoffed, trying to lighten the mood. But that was impossible.

"Guys...what's that?"

We all looked around Mina, who was staring down the hall we had just come from. A glow that was not there seconds ago when we passed was now emulating from my living room. The formal one we never used, it was a few couches and a coffee table, all of which were pushed to the side and turned over like a small bomb had gone off in the room, pushing everything haphazardly to the walls. The fireplace was raging too, popping and roaring loudly in the silence. But it wasn't the only source of light, all my candle now placed and lit inside the room… in the shape of a star.

It happened so fast; finding the room, taking it in, understanding what my eyes saw, shadows moving and colliding with us, and finding myself spralling on the floor. Maybe it was all the alcohol they consumed, Lita and Mina getting wrapped up first. A dark chuckle came from one of the shadows as he tied the struggling Lita up.

"Thought you'd be the hardest and you were by far the easiest."

Lita growled, spitting at the shadow. I swallowed thickly, recognizing the voice instantly. The struggle behind me took my attention away, turning to find Amy trying to scratch the shadow on her while Raye was on her knees, clutching her jaw. I was barely off the floor, getting to my hands and knees, when the others were tied up and _controlled_ by the creepy shadows.

I knew one already, finding him again and narrowing my eyes at him. "Trevor what are you doing?!"

He chuckled again, the others joining in to create a sick surround sound. Stepping into the light, the three of them formed a triangle around me. They each pulled their hoods off and I wasn't even surprised to see Trevor, Noah, and Seiya.

In all black, they were covered with a dark hoodie. Save for Seiya, he stood in nothing more than a leather jacket, it hanging open to reveal the creepiest tattoo I had ever seen. It wasn't all tattoos, some made of raised skin like a burn or a cut, in the shape of a pentagram. In the center, in was all black in the shape of a skull with horns. I was ready to black out from fear from the sight of it alone.

Only three of them, it didn't make sense how they had overpowered and tricked the five of them. How did they do so much with so little?

"AH, there he is! Hurry up man."

I could hear his footsteps, slowly turning with my slow beating heart. Darien gave me one look before going to stand next to his cousin. "Thanks for waiting for me."

My heart stopped. No. No this wasn't happening. It wasn't real! Darien helped Seiya? The only comfort I found in knowing this was, whatever Seiya had planned couldn't be too bad. Darien wouldn't let anything bad happen to me.

"What are you doing?!" Lita screamed.

"You asshole, you helped them do all of this?" Raye raged.

Mina wept on the side and Amy was silent behind me but it didn't matter because all four men kept their eyes on me. If they expected me to freak out, then they would be waiting a long time. I've gotten very good at hiding my fear.

"What is all of this?" I asked.

Seiya sneered and Darien looked away from me. Neither brought me comfort. "We are going to bring back Bunny Man."


	6. Chapter 6

I probably should have broken this up but I'm lazy. And sick. I figured you guys wouldn't mind though! So here's the final chapter and it's nice and long for you. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

"_The fact that ghosts are real doesn't surprise me-I've always been a believer in that area. It's the realization that there may be something out there, something most can't see, that is able to kill."_

― _**Brandy Nacole, Deep in the Hollow**_

I was in shock, I think. Unable to move save for shake. My brain was mush, my fear killing off any remaining brain cells I had. The girls were screaming and yelling, but it sounded like it was underwater. Wobbling, it slowly came back to me, my hearing and the feeling in my body, Amy's voice the first thing I heard.

"You idiots! Bunny Man is just a stupid myth! An Urban Legend that's not founded in a single fact! No matter what you do, you can't _bring back_ what never existed!"

Noah laughed, the sound echoing around the room and in my head. "We are just a bunch of idiots anyway right? You and your friends think we are all worthless, right Mina? Raye?"

Mina glanced up at her name through her tears, looking absolutely helpless. Raye growled behind me as did Lita across from me. "Bunny never did anything to any of you!"

"Didn't she?" Seiya started, stepping up to me as I squatted on the floor. "She ignored us. Treated us like nothing. Less than nothing. And I thought she was just like the rest of you but then she starts dating my cousin," audiable gasps all around, I was the only one not shocked, Darien telling me hours ago this secret, "and I realized, she just thinks she's better than us. Better than me."

He was probably right because the entire time he spoke, I didn't look him in the eyes. Instead, I found Darien's. He stood behind his cousin, arms crossed over his chest like he did when he was irritated. But he held my gaze, not dropping it the entire time Seiya tried to guilt me with his words.

"Bunny is just as bad as the rest of you, thinking you are all hot shit. Well...how awesome are you all now? You got bested by a bunch of Scrouges! A group of losers. Townies. People going nowhere."

I was still staring at Darien and since neither of us were looking anywhere else, I don't know if anyone else saw it, the glint in Darien's eyes. The painful squeezing on my heart lessened and I relaxed a little, taking my eyes off of Darien's to glare back at Seiya.

"I never thought you were a loser, Seiya. In fact, I never thought of you at all unless you were accosting me. It's not my fault I think little of you, you brought it upon yourself."

His hand rose, the back of it setting up for a path across my face, but it never fell. Held at the wrist, Darien kept Seiya from touching me. "Careful Cousin. I doubt Bunny Man wants damaged goods."

The seething Seiya was doing calmed, breathing it out of himself in a big huff. "You're right. That wouldn't do."

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Raye screamed, now crying.

They said nothing, moving around the candles, careful not to mess any of them up. It was then that I saw the knives, my heart leaping into my throat.

Their hands tide at the front, wrist bound to sit at their bellies, I realized in horror the reason behind that too late. "No. Please. You don't need them for this. You only need me right?"

Trevor sneered down at me. "The more blood the better. Don't worry, they'll live… for now."

Pulling and tugging, each girl was maneuvered and cut so that their blood dripped on the points of the star. Then forced to sit on their point next to their blood. Before long, it was _my turn_.

Seiya came to my side, grabbing my arm and pulling me up to stand. No one tied me up as I was the least likely to fight or flee. With all those I loved the most stuck in this room, where would I run? There was no hiding, I would never escape this.

The most I could do was keep my fear to myself, not give Seiya the satisfaction. So I stared at Darien, watching as he tried to fight the emotions off his face. The blade at my palm, time slowed down as the sharp tip pressed against my skin. I didn't look, didn't watch the piercing of my skin, squeezing my eyes tight to fight off the onslaught of terror and pain. But the pain never came.

Time sped back up as I hit the floor hard, getting shoved back in the scuffle. My wits scattered on the floor, it took me a few heartbeats to understand why Darien was now being held back by Trevor and Noah, Seiya looming over the three of them. It wasn't until Seiya stuck the small blade into Darien's gut that it all started to catch up, my scream making it out first.

The boys dropped Darien to the floor, his hands containing a little of his blood as the rest hit the floor. "Thank you Cousin, we needed a fifth person for this. Thank you for volunteering."

Darien glared up at Seiya, the blood draining from his face from the pain and blood loss. "You dumbass. I told you again and again not to do this. To give up this stupid idea of Bunny Man. He isn't real! And even if he was, he's not going to help you or make your shitty existence better!"

My care flew out the window, no longer worried about myself, I scrambled, crawling over to Darien. Taking over, I pushed his hand out of the way and tried to put pressure on his wound for him. "He needs a doctor. Please!" Seiya slowly shook his head, a grin spreading across his wicked face. "He's your family!"

"My family?! He is a POS that ignored me like the rest of them! All so he could forget where he comes from and who he is. He is a Scrouge just like me and yet, he fucks you and goes off to college?" Darien looked genuinely shocked, his eyes widening at his Cousin. "Yeah, I know about all of that. Auntie came around bragging. If you're so smart, how come you didn't see any of this shit coming until it was too late?!"

"Because...I wanted to...help you…."

Darien was struggling to breathe through the pain, the fight on his face. I ignored the tears streaming down my face to cup his instead.

"Help me? I'm helping myself! And Trevor and Noah my true friends. My true family. They understand me, unlike you and the others in this town. And now, I'm finally going to get my revenge, my salvation, everything."

"Revenge? All of this because we called you names?!" Lita shouted.

"I don't just mean revenge on you bitches." Darien's hand pressed to the one I held on top of his wound, his eyes digging into mine. "I mean on Bunny's whore of a mother for ruining my family."

My brain was on fire, spinning so fast inside my skull that it caught flames. The first thing I noticed, Darien didn't have an ounce of shock or confusion on his face as I stared at it. "I'm sorry...I should have told you….I didn't want to...hurt you more…."

For the first time, I took my eyes off of Darien and glared up at Seiya. "That's a lie. My mother would never do that to my father!"

"Your father didn't give a shit! He knew about her _lifestyle_ when he married her! He just wanted a hot wife and pretty child. So when she started banging my dad and my mom found out, she left. She left me! All because of your slut mom!"

"No...that's not true!"

"I even killed the bitch, cut her up into little pieces and gave a little part of her to each man she fucked in this god awful town. But mom still didn't come back…"

"Oh god...Seiya...you didn't!" Darien moaned.

"So now, I'm going to call Bunny Man and give him you, Serena Bunny Tsukino. He will skin you alive and grant me my every wish for the perfect sacrifice."

Seiya was insane. He had lost his mind long ago. And Darien was losing too much blood.

Pulling my hand from Darien's and pressing his back to the spot instead, I got back to my feet and returned to the middle of the star. "Fine, do it."

"What?!" "NOO!" "Bunny stop!" "Just run!" "He's insane!"

The voices around me were ones of fear and concern, but I blocked them all out, holding out my hand for Seiya's blade. He didn't even clean off Darien's blood, pressing down hard and dragging it across my skin. Jagged and deep, the sting came before the blood, dark red pooling in my palm and mixing with the blood already on it. Seiya twisted my wrist painfully, forcing the blood to fall from my hold. The sound of it hitting the floor in loud _pats_ was strange.

Time passed, not sure how much, but soon Darien grunted and fell to his hand. Ripping myself from Seiya's hold, I returned to Darien. Holding his wound hard. "We need to get him to a hospital!"

Trevor and Noah danced on the sidelines from their nerves. Seiya was silent and still, unmoving. "Seiya please! Bunny Man isn't coming!"

"He is, we need more blood." Seiya said, finally speaking and rushing towards Raye.

"NO! Stop it! He isn't coming, he's not real!"

I was torn, from holding Darien's blood in and stopping Seiya from ripping open another vein on my friends. Trevor finally cracked as well. "Come on man, this isn't working!"

Sieya turned, sneering up at Trevor. "You want to offer your blood instead?"

Trevor shivered and Darien pulled. "Go. Get out of...here."

"No. I'm not leaving you guys."

"Serena...I love you...please get out of here….survive."

"Only if you survive with me!" Something that seemed less likely the longer we were forced to hunch on the floor.

Darien was trying to shove me back but he was too weak. I fought back, grabbing as much of him as I could to press his mouth to mine. Accepting me, he sucked on my bottom lip and pressed back with all the strength he had left. I pressed harder against the hole in his stomach, causing him to groan in pain.

"Oh my god…"

Pulling with a pop, I spun on my knees, a gasp escaping with a whimper and Darien used his free arm to wrap around my chest and pull me back to him. Standing in the middle of the pentagram was a tall shadow with long bunny ears on top.

Bunny Man had arrived.

It didn't make sense. I must have passed out and was now in a nightmare, Seiya craning his neck to look up at the giant that now occupied all our attention. Darien was shaking with me, either from his blood loss or the same fear I had. His hold on me was loose, but I knew that was because he lacked the strength to hold me tighter.

The creature didn't move, standing still like a stone. Seiya slowly approached it, his fear starting to show. "Hello Bunny Man. Thank you for coming. We have a gift for you."

Using what I feared was the last of his strength, Darien pulled me back to his chest, my back thudding against it. His heartbeat pounded against my back, matching the tempo of mine. I think I stopped breathing as Seiya pointed at me and the creature finally moved, turning around and following Seiya's directions.

The shock wore off the girls, their screams, cries, and whimpers covering up the unbearable silence. Once facing me, I could plainly make out details of the monster before me. It was a tall creature, too tall to be human, and it was covered in dingy grey fur. The monster was wearing a bunny suit.

Slowly, it started to lean over, bending at its middle and stretching out over the void to put its face before mine. I felt Darien moving, his hand rubbing across my neck and onto my sweater. He was wiping something on me, something hot and sticky. And it was quick, smearing it around and dropping his hand again as if to hide.

Now in my face, the creature had my full attention. It had no face, not that I could see, just a black hole. It was like an endless shadowy pit that I stared into, not moving or breathing. The room was starting to spin as my body had no oxygen as my terror burned in my chest. I don't know how I stayed conscious, the creature inhaling deeply before me.

It was smelling me.

Whether he liked what he smelled, I wasn't sure. Cause the creature stood back up straight at the same speed he bent over to me. Seiya was grinning, watching on like the freak he was. But then his smile dropped, looking up at the creature oddly.

"What do you mean?!" he looked back and forth between us, frantic. "She is the perfect sacrifice! She is a large...bunny!" Somehow, the creature was communicating with the monster. And it wasn't going well. "No. No! She is the one you want!" He took a step back, shaking his head furiously. "I'm your servant! I will give you whatever you want." Seiya's eyes darted to Noah and then Trevor, the two shifting nervously and starting to look as freaked as the rest of them. "Alright...if that's what you want. Take them."

"What?!" Noah screamed.

Trevor just ran. Maybe they could hear the Bunny Man too, the rest of us just confused. I don't know if Darien could hear Bunny Man or just figured it out, but as soon as the Bunny Man stretched out his arm and wrapped it around Trevor, Darien covered my eyes with his hand. He could do nothing for my ears, hearing the screams from all but mostly Trevor. And the sound of ripping.

Someone threw up but Darien only held my eyes tighter. "No..no...please….I don't want to die…"

More screams and ripping and the room grew silent. Which was almost as bad as the sounds, not knowing what was going on. It had me grabbing Darien's hand and pulling to see. "Don't look!" He tried to warn but I didn't listen.

Two bloody husks were now in Bunny Man's hold, both dripping a little on the floor as he held them high off the floor. I blinked and the image was gone, the room going sideways as I fell back. Darien caught me, only to go down with me.

I could hear my friends calling out to me but it was like they were far away, their voices strained but still like whispers. It didn't matter, I was busy staring at Darien, his face before mine as we laid on the floor. He wore a sad smile and his hand was covered in blood when he lifted it to brush my cheek. Whether it was the blood or my tears, I don't know, but my cheek felt wet from his touch. I leaned into it without care, leaning forward to catch his lips again. His blue eyes washed over me when I pulled back, the only thing I could see before I closed my eyes again, feeling overwhelmingly exhausted.

"I love you, Darien." Was the last thing to slip from my lips as I slipped from consciousness.

oOo

My eyes were scratchy, painfully dry as I forced them to open. I was met with violet eyes that were nearly red with worry. "BUNNY!"

"Oh thank god you're awake!" Lita cried.

Surrounded, I took in their faces as they calmed. Mina cried, which it looked as though she had cried all night long already. Amy shiffled, looking about as good as the rest of them, all out of sorts and tired. Lita and Raye were the closest and also in hospital gowns. Wait...they all were.

"Where are we?"

"The hospital." Raye answered, running her fingers through my matted hair.

"What happened?"

Mina got my attention, stepping forward with confusion on her face. "You don't remember?"

"She might be repressing it." Amy added.

Lita huffed loudly, "I know I am."

Patting my shoulder, Raye pulled my attention back to her. "What do you remember?"

"I remember...Seiya and blood," I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself before I passed out again, "a lot of blood...Darien's blood," my stomach dropped to my knees, "Darien...where's Darien?!"

"You should rest," Lita pressed, the subject and my shoulders as I tried to get up.

"I swear if someone doesn't tell me right now I'm going to…"

"We don't really know, Serena. We aren't family so we aren't allowed to…"

I pushed Lita back and ignored Amy's warnings. "I'll find out. Find him."

Not sure if I lost them or if they gave up but soon I was rushing around the hospital's ICU. In nothing more than a hospital gown, you got far more access and less questions than you probably should. I was able to slip past many doctors and nurses and even a few security guards. But I couldn't find Darien.

I was about to give up and wait with the girls when a Doctor and Nurse missed my proximity. "I can't believe this kid. I'm glad but I have no clue how he is still alive."

"A sheer will to live, Doctor."

"Prep him to move. He's stable and can leave the ICU now."

"Yes, Doctor."

I knew in my bones that they were talking about Darien. The Nurse left to put in the order while I followed and listened in, getting the room Darien was currently in and rushing as fast as my legs would carry my tired body. The only thing wrong with me was the cut that had been stitched up on my hand. Shock and stress had knocked me out. For how long, I didn't know. But it was daylight and my father was nowhere near so it couldn't have been for very long.

A big open window that looked into the room told me he was alone and that I was right. I _knew_ they were talking about Darien, his face pale and his body covered. I remembered his stab wound, not needing to lift the thin cover back as a reminder. My stomach twisted in knots, the tubes and lines going in and out of him along with the beeping of the monitors made the strong man I knew him as seem so fragile. My stomach twisted again at the realisation that is Aunt wasn't here for him. Would she even show? I had few doubts, Darien wouldn't see her until he was released. That's what happens when your sister dies in a hospital, even if it's unfair to Darien.

I would be here for him, taking his hand in mine and watching his eyes dance under his lids.

Time was immeasurable, as I ignored it, just watching Darien as he slept. Silently praying he would wake up soon. The Doctor said he was no longer in danger but he looked too pale and too weak for me to feel satisfied.

"Excuse me, who are you?!"

A Nurse was glaring at me and I was still lost in so many ways. "I'm..uh...I'm his…."

"Are you a patient here? You should be in your own room!"

The woman was about to storm out when the hold Darien had on my hand went from zero to crushing. "Darien?"

He slowly cracked open one eye and then the other, focusing on me while the Nurse tried to push me away to check him. I sat back out of her way but didn't release his hand. Not that he would have let me anyway.

"Miss, you need to leave now.."

"No." Darien's voice cracked and popped but he soon got more out of himself. "No, she stays. She's my...my"

"Your what?"

The Nurse was irritated and impatient and I nearly left just so Darien could have some peace. But he had a death grip hold on my hand. "She's mine. My family. She stays."

There was nothing else after that; nurses and doctors coming by to check on Darien and me as well. He was the boy that lived and I was the girl that he lived for.

The room we sat in now, bright sunny day outside while me and the girls kept Darien company, was much nicer than the ICU room he woke up in. A week later and I no longer winced when he laughed or coughed, worried he would split a stitch. Everything was nice. Peaceful.

So of course, it didn't last.

A knock at the door and we all got serious, the laughter and chatter stopping as a man in a suit stepped in. "Excuse me, I'm Detective Moore. I need to speak with a Serena Tsukino and Darien Shields?" He pointed his finger and wiggled it towards the two of us. "That would be you two I'm guessing."

"Congratulations, Detective, you win the gold star."

I nudged Darien's shoulder as hard as I dared, narrowing my eyes at him. "What can we help you with sir?"

"This might be best said in private…"

"You can say anything in front of these people. They should know whatever you have to say as well." Darien defended, keeping the girls from rising to leave with his words. "Saves us the trouble of repeating it."

I slapped his shoulder again while he just smirked and we all waited for the Detective to get on with it. "You were attacked by a Seiya Dickerson, correct? Who is a distant cousin of Mr. Shields' here? Did he give a reason for his assault?"

"Yeah, he's a psycho!" Lita blurted.

Detective Moore ignored her, looking at me and Darien for the answer. "He...he said he wanted revenge."

"Revenge for what exactly?"

I glanced at Darien, not sure what or how much to say. "A lot of things." Darien answered for me.

"Your friends here said in their statements that Seiya took credit for the murder of a Selene Tsukino...your mother?"

The question was for me clearly, the cop's eyes set on me. "That's what he said, yes."

"Any proof? Evidence other than his word?"

I shrugged, looking again at Darien who saved me. "He said Serena's mother slept with his father, wrecking their marriage."

"Did you know this? Know the cause of your own family's issues?"

Darien's eyes darted to me and back to the Detective. "Yes."

"For how long?"

He hesitated, gulping something thick down his throat. "Since I moved here five years ago."

I dropped my gaze to the floor but not Darien's hand, his thumb rubbing circles into my skin. Of course he didn't tell me. What good would it do? I understood, but it still hurt, the secrets people kept from me because I was so fragile.

"Is that why you got involved with Ms. Tsukino?"

"No!..Sort of...I wanted to meet her because of it, sure but that's not why I kept meeting her."

"Well Ms. Tsukino we can find no proof of the affair or that Seiya commited the murder. Other than his confession and your friends' testimony."

"What does that mean? Did he lie?" Mina asked.

The Detective flashed her a grin. "Probably. But we'll keep looking into it. It's a cold case but with this confession, it will be reopened. Now, I have two not so cold bodies on the slabs downstairs and I need answers on those two. A Noah Greenwald and Trevor Hartley. Classmates of you five and best friends with your cousin. Someone want to tell me who skinned the two of them alive?"

Eyes danced around the room. My memory was hazy at best, even a week after and no one would talk about it. No one wanted to and I was one of them. I didn't want to talk about what I saw, what I remember seeing, because it was crazy. And I think everyone else agreed which was why Amy looked right at the Detective, her face set in stone.

"Seiya did it. He went mad when his plans to summon Bunny Man failed and skinned the two of them in his rage induced insanity."

Cool and calm, Amy didn't crack even a little as the Detective stared her down hard. "Alright, do you all confirm her story?"

We all nodded, not wanting or daring to change her words. Detective Moore didn't look convinced but left soon after. I had a feeling we would be seeing him again soon.

Closing the door, Raye hustled back to the group and whispered. "What was that? We are just going to put it all on Seiya?"

"The guy is crazy, Raye! Maybe he will get the help he needs this way." Mina said.

Lita shifted uncomfortably on her heels. "I don't really want to talk about this but...we all saw the same thing right? Seiya didn't kill them, Bunny Man did?"

"We were all scared and loosing blood," Darien cooed, "safe to say none of us are really sure what we saw."

"I saw it. I saw Bunny Man." They all stopped and looked at me, Darien squeezing my hand and hushing me softly. "He was right in my face! He came for me! Why did he...why did he kill Trevor and Noah? I was the one he wanted, right?"

"Darien smeared his blood all over you." Amy stated like that made any sense. When it was clear to all except her and Darien, she went on. "A blood offering was given, that was what Bunny Man was drawn to. So when Darien smeared his blood on you, it covered your scent with his. Very smart thinking actually."

"It was a lucky guess. Really I thought if it thought Serena was damaged, it would leave her behind."

I watched Darien's mouth as he spoke, not realizing just how much he had saved my life that night. So many times over.

"The paramedics took you, Serena, to the hospital because you were out cold and covered in blood. We tried to tell them it was Darien's but you were in shock anyway." Mina spoke as if it was their fault I got admitted into the hospital.

I took a deep breath to steady myself and everyone waited. "We tell no one. Bunny Man didn't kill Trevor and Noah, Seiya did. Because if he hadn't called that...that monster out and then sacrificed his best friends, then they would still be alive. He did kill them."

Raye waited, making sure I was finished, "What about what he said about your mother?"

"At least it got the case opened again." Darien added.

My mother's case had been _cold_ locked away for someone else someday to deal with. Now it was back at the top of the pile. A bittersweet consequence. "Are we okay?"

Darien was asking me, his eyes pleading and deep. "What? Of course we are! I love you! I love you with all the life I now have left thanks to you!"

"We love you too, Dare Bear!" Mina mocked affectionately.

"Don't call me that."

"Dare Bear!" The girls all cried, wrapping arms around the two of us.

Squished together and buried alive, Darien found my eyes and my lips, stealing a kiss while the other piled on top of us. I returned it with all the love and passion I held for him, feeling like I would burst with it.

He was my savior. My one true love. And I was going to spend the rest of my life thanking him for loving me that much in return.

* * *

Well, that's all folks. Actually have ideas for a sequel in my head already. Just the opening scene though. I haven't picked a legend yet so if anyone has a request, send it my way and if it firs with my plans, I'll use it!


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